Or, more likely, the FAA issued a TFR at the last second and these guys weren’t aware of it...
Yeah. Not everything is a conspiracy. Stuff happens.
Many GA pilots have a lax attitude about getting thorough pre-flight briefings, particularly in day/VFR conditions. A simple point to point flight that someone has done a hundred times, legally, with no assistance from FAA controllers, in otherwise uncontrolled airspace, becomes a legal nightmare if you are caught violating a TFR. All pilots have a responsibility to get proper briefings before every flight, but I also understand how this happens to well trained individuals who just get caught becoming too familiar with a routine. In almost every case, no bad intent is present.
Typical of the FAA. Pilots must be mind readers and the government has no idea that we just sit around and do nothing but check every law immediately., Real ars holes. These are the same kind of real thinkers that pass as law saying no more homicides in America and they immediately stop.